


i found my hand is holding yours

by ruzekhalstead



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020), Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Protective Luke, julie recruits luke to get this boy to stop asking her out, luke heart-eyes patterson, post season one and everyone can see the boys, so much hand holding, they're just so freaking cute together in this im screaming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:33:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29327076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruzekhalstead/pseuds/ruzekhalstead
Summary: julie has been dealing with a persistent classmate who won't take no for an answer, so luke accompanies her to their end-of-the-term party in hopes to get the point across.-"although, i wonder why he thought we were — you know.""come on jules. you know why."
Relationships: Julie Molina & Luke Patterson, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 17
Kudos: 240





	i found my hand is holding yours

**Author's Note:**

> hi everyone!!
> 
> this started as a short little drabble that ended up being 1.6k words and i originally posted it on tumblr only, and i'm usually my biggest critic, but i think this is fucking adorable so i need to share it with you all!!
> 
> please enjoy!!

"Okay, so I have a really weird favour to ask."

Luke looked up from his guitar, arching a brow at Julie's obvious distress. They had been at it for a few hours, trying to write a new song, but the motivation wasn't really flowing. Ultimately they decided to separate and see what they could come up with on their own. It was a bit pointless since all Luke could think about was the girl in the corner and all of his _feelings_ for her.

"There are only a handful of things I wouldn't do for you, Jules. So, shoot."

The apparent blush on her cheeks was unavoidable, so she pulled a few stray curls out from behind her ears.

"Would you mind coming with me to this end of term party type thing?" Julie asked, hesitantly biting her lip. It wasn't that she didn't think he'd be up for it, it was just the uncomfortableness of the entire situation. "It's for everyone in our music program. But there's just this guy who isn't really getting the hint and i figure if —"

Luke's eyes snapped over to her nervous and fiddling figure as soon as she mentioned a boy. "I'll be there," he replied instantly. His limited motivation to continue strumming his guitar until he found a melody he enjoyed immediately disappeared, and all he could think about was that Julie had been feeling uncomfortable lately, and he had no idea.

"He's not like a bad guy or anything!" Julie rushed to add, because she had a heart of gold and always sought the best in people. "He's sweet, really — sort of. He's just also very persistent and I'm not —"

"You don't need to explain," Luke told her, shooting her a lopsided grin to calm her nerves. "I'll be there."

It was a blessing in disguise that the boys could now be seen by everyone, and not just when they were performing with Julie. She would feel much more comfortable with Luke by her side; he was her anchor, and it helped that he was so protective, that hopefully he would help get the hint across to her surprise suitor.

She knew what Luke was thinking; was it Nick? And the answer was no. They were friends now, nothing more. But a few months back, a new student joined their program, and he was partnered with Julie for a few exercises. She didn't think anything of it, being friendly and polite as per her usual. It seemed like somewhere along the way, he developed feelings for her and no matter how many times she said no to a date, he kept asking.

Something about persistence? Julie hated it.

He was still constantly polite and respectful, but the mere fact that he wouldn't take no for an answer was severely unnerving for her.

She hoped him seeing her with Luke would get the hint across that she wasn't interested (and if it led him to believe that she wasn't available, then so be it).

The music program party was being held in the school gym, filled with games, snacks and of course, an open mic. Even though Julie was a tad bit nervous to attend, Luke confidently grabbed onto her hand and quite literally dragged her into the gymnasium.

"Socialization is good for you, Jules," he had said teasingly, to which Julie squeezed his hand painfully.

He shot her a wolfish grin in response.

"I'm going to get us drinks, you good?" Luke pondered, ducking his eyes to meet her eyes. He could tell her nervous she looked by the way she couldn't stop moving her hands, and it irritated him that someone was making her feel weary like this. "Jules," he repeated, squeezing her hand.

Julie nodded, raising her chin in a more obvious display of confidence. "I'm good," she insisted. He pulled on their hands until he was out of her reach and hers dropped back down to her side.

The gym was decently filled; Julie recognized a number of familiar faces as she actively searched for Flynn, who had shot her a message saying she was already here. As she was distracted searching through the crowd, she didn't notice the one person she was trying to avoid.

His name was Caden, and he was cute and sweet, but he was just not _getting_ it.

"Hey Julie! It's nice to see you!" His hands were shoved into the front pockets of his jeans as he rocked back and forth. "Are you planning on singing tonight?"

Julie shot him a polite smile. She just didn't have it in her to be mean, but she knew if she was a bit more direct and aggressive, this entire situation might end here and now. "Probably not. I don't plan on staying long."

"Oh," his eyes widened, and suddenly Julie knew that was the wrong thing to say. "Did you maybe want to go out after? Coffee or something?"

Julie felt her panic start to climb its way up her throat; God, where the hell was Luke? it's okay, she just had to let him down again. "Uh, actually —"

"Here you go, Jules!"

Julie almost screamed in relief when she heard Luke's familiar voice. He slipped in next to her, bumping her hip clumsily. to the untrained eye, it looked like he was just being a walking hazard, but Julie knew it was on purpose. His was a touch-oriented person, and his touch soothed Julie; they both knew that. Luke handed Julie a cup of punch, and his gaze flitted to Caden, who was staring at them with wide blue eyes.

"Oh hey! I'm Luke, I'm in the band with Julie." With his free hand, he reached over to shake Caden's hand.

Caden looked surprised and a tad disappointed, but he was nothing but respectful to Luke as he introduced himself. "I'm Caden, one of Julie's classmates."

A comfortable silence passed among them as their focus was directed to the stage where one of their classmates was performing. Luke could sense Julie's tension and his free hand reached down for hers. He didn't outright tangle their fingers together but his pinky reached out to wrap with her in a comforting gesture. It gave her the power to do whatever she felt comfortable with.

Unbeknownst to them, Caden watched their entire interaction, and even though he was disappointed, only a blind person wouldn't see their obvious connection. It suddenly dawned on him why Julie never seemed to reciprocate his intentions, and he couldn't believe he'd never caught on before (he saw their performances on youtube videos).

"Ah, so you two are...?" Caden trailed off, unsure of what to label it.

Luke and Julie glanced over at him, Julie with furrowed eyebrows, and Luke with a somewhat smug but innocent expression.

"Oh, we're not re—" Julie started to say, but Caden shook his head, smiling.

"I should've figure it out sooner," he added, "I've seen the YouTube videos. You can't fake that chemistry."

Luke pursed his lips at the use of the word chemistry. At one point, he'd deny it, but at this point? It would be an outright lie.

Julie, however, just looked confused. "Sure, but that's no—"

"It's okay Julie, you don't have to explain," Caden insisted. "I see the way he looks at you, and I get it now. I'll see you around," he smiled, waving before he walked away.

Luke awkwardly sipped his drink. He wasn't exactly expecting to be put on blast. He couldn't exactly control his eyes and what they did when they looked at Julie. She was the embodiment of beauty and music and perfection, and that was everything Luke saw when he looked at her. If he was exhibiting 'heart-eyes' (as Alex and Reggie had told him multiple times), he couldn't stop it.

"Okay, well, I guess that worked," Julie smiled, tapping her cup against Luke's in cheers. "Although, I wonder why he thought we were — you know."

Luke glanced over at her. She was watching the stage performance with such a sense of innocence that Luke almost didn't want to burst her bubble. Almost.

"Come on, Jules," he chuckled, shaking his head when she turned to him with questioning eyes. "You know why."

Julie pursed her lips, holding his steady gaze. It was challenging because his eyes were absolutely gorgeous and intense, and clearly the way he looked at her made her _feel_ things. Sometimes she could feel his gaze on her while she played piano, or studied for a test or wrote excitedly in his (their) song journal. Sometimes she would look over at him and he'd already be looking at her. And at first, he would look away in embarrassment, but now, he would hold her gaze, sometimes even going as far to send a smirk to really throw her off her game and fluster her.

Something had changed between them along the way and they both knew it. They just hadn't decided when was the right time to address it. The truth was Luke could be ripped away at any moment; the thought caused Julie to live in a constant state of paralyzing fear. And so, the time never felt right.

"Yeah," Julie mumbled, reached for his hand again. "I do."

Julie didn't end up leaving early. She found herself in the corner of the gym, leaning against the wall with Luke's arm wrapped securely around her shoulders. They watched performance after performance and they couldn't even be bothered to get up on stage and show them what a real duet looked like because they were so comfortable in each other's arms.

And as Julie tipped her head onto Luke's shoulder, a sudden wave of exhaustion overtaking her, she knew Caden never had a chance because her heart was already taken.

**Author's Note:**

> this was so simple and sweet and that enDING they're just so freaking cute i am screaming 
> 
> i saw a lot of posts about luke and his heart eyes today. INCLUDING the official jatp's insta account and that very first picture (you KNOW which one i'm talking about) when luke is smiling at julie SO FREAKING WIDE AND STARING AT HER LIKE SHE IS HIS WHOLE WORLD BC SHE IS anyway i was very inspired by these posts and this happened 
> 
> so i hope you all enjoyed and as usual, stay safe!! x


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